It is known in motor vehicle occupant restraint systems to have a shoulder belt and mounted on the upper rear corner of the door and a lap belt end mounted on the lower rear corner of the door. A first buckle element such as a latch plate is carried by the inboard end of the lap and shoulder belts and is adapted for engagement within a second buckle element such as a buckle mounted on the vehicle body inboard the occupant seat so that the lap and shoulder belts are established in restraining positions across the seat when the door is closed. The buckle permits disengagement of the latch plate therefrom to enable opening of the door and occupant freedom for occupant ingress and egress.
It is also known that the buckle mounted inboard the seat may be mounted on the floor by a length of belt wound by a retractor so that the lap and shoulder belts function as a passive restraint system in that whenever the door is opened the outboard ends of the lap and shoulder belts are automatically moved outwardly and forwardly to enable occupant ingress and egress. The latch plate may be disconnected from the buckle if use of the passive restraint arrangement is not desired by the occupant.
It is also known to provide a hook or the like on the door for engagement by the first buckle element carried by the belt when the buckle is unbuckled to store the lap and shoulder belts on the door for opening and closing movement therewith. Such hooks are conventionally mounted at or near the forward edge of the door so that the shoulder belt extends diagonally down across the window and the lap belt extends diagonally up across the door trim panel, arm rest and door handle.
It would be desirable to store the lap and shoulder belts on the door in a neatly stored position overlying one another in order to reduce the visible presence of the belt system on the door and to obviate the necessity of having the shoulder belt extend in a highly visible path across the window.